Ethnic China Living Books
Since I started with the page more than 10 years ago I have been posting some book reviews and news. Now that information is going to be expanded with the small summaries that I make (sometimes) for myself after reading a book or an article, or some of the notes that I take after the readings. In some interesting books that I have not been able to read or of which I do not keep any notes, I may put the text provided by the publisher.
I think all readers will be able to distinguish when it is a personal opinion, when it is an excerpt from the work, and when it is material provided by the publisher.
I have organized the material in the following sections. If you think something is missing, please write to me at the address below.
– Art
– Buddhism
– Classics of Chinese culture
– Daoism or Taoism
– Ethnic groups
– Folklore
– Gender, women and matriarchy
– History
– Idiom and language
– Journeys and travels
– Literature and poetry
– Myths, tales and legends
– Novels
– Orientalisms. Novels set in China.
– Philosophy
– Qi Gong, taiji and health techniques.
– Religion
– Society
– Tibet
– Zoom on politics and current affairs
LAST POSTS ABOUT BOOKS ON CHINA
Suicide Caused by the Sale of Wives in Late Imperial China
Suicide Caused by the Sale of Wives in Late Imperial China During the Qing dynasty, family relations were a constant cause of suicide, especially for women. Many of the distinctive features of Chinese marriage pushed women toward suicide, one of the most lethal being...
Discover the Treasure of Weibaoshan Mountain in Yunnan
Discover the Treasure of Weibaoshan Mountain in Yunnan Weibao Mountain (巍宝山) is one of the sacred mountains of Yunnan. Within its relatively small area it brings together a historical, artistic, natural, and monumental ensemble that makes it a unique place in China...
The Dog as Psychopomp in China
The Dog as Psychopomp in China One of the oldest human beliefs was that after death there existed an immaterial part of the person—later called the soul or spirit—that did not disappear with the body. Its origin may lie in the “presence” of the dead in dreams,...
An ambitious project to rewrite history
An ambitious project to rewrite history. It is what we see in Lhamsuren Munkh-Erdene, The Nomadic Leviathan. A Critique of the Sinocentric Paradigm. Brill. Leiden. 2023. Now free to download in the publisher’s webpage. This book is a critique of a theoretical paradigm...
Why I devoted more than a year to researching suicide in Chinese culture
Why I devoted more than a year to researching suicide in Chinese culture In early November 2022 my friend, the psychiatrist Luz González Sánchez, told me that she was preparing a lecture on suicide. On the 8th of that same month, during a quiet moment, I made a brief...
Legends of the Mother Goddess
Legends of the Mother Goddess I am pleased to share with all you that the Italian translation of my book Legends of the Mother Goddess (and Other Myths of Goddesses and Women from the Peoples of China) has now been published and is available for purchase. As many of...
This book will challenge all what you know about the religion of China
Paper, Jordan. The Spirits are drunk. Comparative approaches to Chinese religion. SUNY Press. 1995 This is a completely original book on the religions of China. Instead of following the repetitive mantra of the existence of three religions and describing them more or...
The Wenzi Begins: Echoes from a Forgotten Taoist Voice
The Wenzi Begins: Echoes from a Forgotten Taoist Voice The Wenzi (文子) is an ancient Daoist text attributed to a disciple of Laozi. Although its authenticity has been debated throughout history, its content clearly reflects the Daoist worldview and its influence on the...
Praise for the book on Chinese characters
Praise for the book on Chinese characters Good News! I'm happy to share that my book Chinese Characters: An Easy Learning Based on Their Etymology and Evolution has been selected by BookAuthority.org as one of The Best Etymology Books for Beginners! BookAuthority...
Chinese characters
The Shuangdun Signs and the Origins of Chinese Writing
The Shuangdun Signs and the Origins of Chinese Writing When the origins of Chinese writing are discussed, attention almost always turns to the oracle bones of the Shang dynasty. Yet thousands of years before characters were carved onto turtle plastrons, surprisingly...
Ethnic groups
The Bull that Shaped the World and Other Sacred Bovines among the Bulang Minority
The Bull that Shaped the World and Other Sacred Bovines among the Bulang Minority The Bulang people (布朗族), an Austroasiatic ethnic group primarily inhabiting Yunnan’s tea-growing highlands, revere the ox as a sacred being intertwined with creation, agriculture, and...
Chinese culture
Imperial Processions to the Temple of Heaven
Imperial Processions to the Temple of Heaven Those who know China—even if only through a brief trip—and who have visited the Temple of Heaven in Beijing will surely have been fascinated by the sober beauty of its buildings. Yet, whether on a crowded day or during a...